Wednesday 26,Febr-2025 {HMC} “ A former Minneapolis café owner testified Tuesday that Feeding Our Future founder Aimee Bock demanded a $1.5 million kickback in 2021 to approve a fraudulent invoice totalling $3.1 million—and terminated her contract when she refused.
It was the first direct accusation in the ongoing Feeding Our Future trial, where federal prosecutors allege Bock orchestrated a $250 million fraud scheme that funnelled pandemic relief funds meant to feed underprivileged children into personal enrichment for dozens of co-conspirators.
Hanna Marekegn, the 42-year-old former owner of Brava Café, was among the first defendants to plead guilty in 2022. She admitted embezzling $7.1 million by falsely claiming to serve 4,000 meals a day despite operating a café that barely saw ten customers daily.
“We knew everything was wrong, but we just kept doing it because we needed the money,” Marekegn told jurors through tears.
Marekegn testified that she initially joined the Federal Child Nutrition Program in 2020 under Feeding Our Future’s sponsorship after being recruited by an employee, Abdikerm Eidleh. She agreed to pay 5% of her reimbursements as kickbacks to Eidleh, who fled to Somalia in late 2021 before FBI raids.
After state regulators began scrutinizing Feeding Our Future’s operations, Bock led a legal fight against the Minnesota Department of Education (MDE). In April 2021, a judge ruled in her favour, forcing MDE to resume funding. Marekegn testified that Bock celebrated with supporters in a Minneapolis banquet hall.
“She was like a god to the East African community,” Marekegn said. “We all thought she was untouchable.”
Following the ruling, Feeding Our Future expanded its operations—but cracks began to show. Prosecutors argue that the nonprofit inflated meal counts, used shell companies, and submitted fraudulent invoices to divert federal funds.
The $3.1 Million Invoice and Alleged Kickback Demand
In August 2021, Marekegn, now a vendor supplying meals to House of Refuge Outreach Twin Cities, submitted a $3.1 million invoice—a figure far exceeding industry norms.
She testified that Bock questioned the invoice for the first time and later invited her to a private meeting at a Minneapolis coffee shop.
Bock allegedly instructed Marekegn to leave her phone and Apple Watch in her car before making a demand:
“She told me she would approve the invoice if I gave her half—$1.5 million in cash,” Marekegn testified.
Marekegn said she refused.
“That’s a lot of money to pay in cash,” she told Bock.
Days later, she said, Bock terminated her contract.
Marekegn continued her fraudulent activities under another sponsor, Partners in Nutrition, until the FBI raided Feeding Our Future’s offices and 24 other sites in early 2022.
FBI agents searching Bock’s home found large amounts of cash, designer handbags, luxury cars, and a gold necklace spelling out her name. Prosecutors say she lived lavishly while presenting herself as a humanitarian.
Bock’s attorney, Kenneth Udoibok, challenged Marekegn’s credibility, emphasizing that she continued defrauding the program even after Bock cut her off.
He argued that Bock was misled by “clever liars” and had no direct involvement in fraudulent claims. He also questioned why Bock would insist on a cash payment if she were running a highly sophisticated scheme.
However, prosecutors maintain that Bock orchestrated the largest pandemic-era fraud scheme in U.S. history.
Bock and co-defendant Salim Said, a Minneapolis restaurant owner, face multiple charges, including wire fraud, conspiracy to commit federal program bribery, and money laundering. If convicted, they could face decades in prison.
Now in its fourth week, the trial has featured testimony from multiple cooperating defendants who admitted to submitting inflated invoices and laundering millions in taxpayer funds.
Of the 70 individuals charged, 35 have pleaded guilty, while others await trial. Federal prosecutors say more arrests may follow as the investigation continues.
